Infusing Tension into Your Story – Don’t Take The Easy Way Out

The Easy Way Out

Tension that arises through conflict is the secret sauce to captivating your readers. Without it there is the danger of losing their attention and causing yawns rather than a posture of attention.

I have a tendency to want good things to happen to all my characters, leading them down paths that tie everything up in a nice pretty bow. Too often, I take the easy way out. So, I’ve learned that one of my first editing strategies, and challenges, is to read for those moments when the story gets too comfortable and “happy, happy,” for both the characters and the readers. When I find those scenes where I have steered the story toward a predictably safe solution, I think of ways to turn the tables, or ‘flip the script,’ as the saying goes.

Tension with the Chevans

For instance, at the beginning of my work in progress (WIP), a fantasy novel for middle grade readers, my protagonist, a young slave girl, enters a stable that houses the beautiful and mysterious Chevans, the flying horses of Ter Elsker. In my original version, she forms a bond with a new foal and is welcomed into the fold of the Chevan riders. In the revised version though, she is pulled to them, feels the Chevans as though they are with her, and she bemoans the fact that she, as a slave, cannot get anywhere near them without suffering harsh consequences.

The scene gives a number of clues about her past life but also leaves the reader asking a lot of questions, questions that can only be answered by reading on. The tension rises when the reader discovers that it is forbidden for a slave, and especially a female, to be tethered to a Chevan. When it happens, the readers cheer for a moment until they discover she fears for her very life. Conflict comes from all sides even though the chief rider and trainer of the Chevan riders tries to protect her. Internal conflict rises in the protagonist when she realizes she is the cause of serious trouble for her protector as well as for herself.

An Unexpected Moment

As the story unfolds, one of the characters does something unexpected that touches the heart of my protagonist deeply. In the original version I have her throwing herself into his arms, overcome with emotion and thanking him profusely. “Happy, happy.” When I thought about how to make it more interesting and infused with tension, I decided to have her react in an unexpected manner – she runs away. This leads to another character asking her why and gives the reader an opportunity for more insight into my protagonist’s past and her motivations. She says, “What he did for me, that’s what families do.” Since she believes she was responsible for the death of her family, she fears that it will happen again. “I was a curse to them. I will be a curse to you all.” The tension rises again when she learns that the vurm, who killed her family, have been seen close to Ter Elsker.

A Fear Justified

In another scene, my protagonist proves that she has a power no one else has, which in the original version, caused many to finally accept her place in their world, including the previously ominous character she feared, her guardian’s brother. He has been a danger to both of them until that point. When I realized I had weakened that conflict considerably by making him accept her, I again shifted gears and made their fear of him justified. Once again, rather than take the easy way out, I made the story more complicated when he expresses his displeasure in strong terms, and the reader knows the scene will result in more conflict in the coming pages. The question continues to linger: how can a young slave girl survive when everything, and almost everyone is against her. And will her guardian’s life be destroyed at the same time?

A Lurking Shadow

One of my characters is blatantly nasty. The protagonist is under his control at first but escapes it when her guardian takes steps to protect her. In the first version the nasty one faded away and did not reappear. In my first edit, I brought him back as a lingering, hovering shadow who sends a chill through the reader at each reappearance and then is proven to be the potential source of disaster for them all. By letting him lurk in the shadows, tension rises until it seems he has had his revenge. I increase the tension by bringing the two antagonists (the brother and the nasty one) into a conspiracy that makes it seem like they are going to win.

Let Tension Seep

The trick to building tension is to let it seep into the story, drop by drop. A sudden disaster has effect for the moment, but the constant reminder that security is fragile and on the verge of being disrupted keeps the reader asking questions and needing to keep going to discover who will prevail in the end. As this progression builds to the climax, we follow the character arcs of the protagonist and the secondary characters. The worse things get, the more noble some of the characters are revealed to be. The reader cheers them on, hoping against all hope that they will triumph.

A Simple Formula

A writing colleague and friend, Sigmund Brouwer, (author of many books for children and adults), once gave a simple formula for fiction in a writing workshop: put your characters in a bad situation, make it worse, then bring in a twist that gives it a believable solution. He also advised that there must be an emotional punch in each scene. When the bad thing happens, you want the reader to care. I have followed that formula many times to make sure the conflict and tension in a story keeps my readers engaged and gives them a story to which they can relate, with a satisfying ending.

So, my advice is, edit to find the scenes that take the easy way out. Make your characters work for their security and solutions to their dilemmas. Your readers will become fans wanting more.

Author Bio

Marcia Lee Laycock is a prolific author and speaker. Her work has won awards in Canada and the U.S. Find her at https://marcialeelaycock.com and https://marcialeelaycock.substack.com